Saints Mary and Elizabeth Academy (Worry)

Abbot Giles Hayes and Saint Mary’s Abbey misled the parishioners and school community in Linden, NJ. For months, staff at the Saint Elizabeth of Hungary Church and Saints Mary and Elizabeth Academy have been repeating to parents and children what they heard from Rev. Anthony Sergeant and others from Saint MAry’s Abbey: Rev. Benedict Worry has been sick… first with a heart ailment, then with a double hernia, and most recently, with dental work due to his diabetes. The message has always been that he will return soon.

Rev. Benedict Worry is still listed as one of three pastors at Saints Mary and Elizabeth Academy in Linden, New Jersey.

The masthead on the school’s web site reads:

Faith + Learning = An Education You Can Believe In – Fr. Benedict M. Worry, OSB

His name should have been removed five months ago.

On Sunday, May 20, 2012, two monks from Saint Mary’s Abbey were told about allegations of misconduct by Rev. Benedict Worry.

Rev. Anthony Sergeant, Worry’s replacement at the parish in Linden, was one of those monks.

The person who shared the information with the two monks offered an clean (no blackline) copy of a nine-page statement, which was signed and notarized by one of Worry’s victims. Rev. Anthony Sergeant and the other monk declined the statement.

On June 3, 2012, Rev. Anthony  claimed that he reported the conversation (and the allegations) to Abbot Giles Hayes.

On June 4, 2012, a school administrator said that she had not heard from Rev. Worry since January — and that all communication to him flows through a secretary at the rectory. The employee claimed to be unaware of any allegations of misconduct.

During that same conversation, around noon on June 4, 2012 the school’s administration was provided information regarding allegations of misconduct made against Rev. Benedict Worry — by the webmaster of this web site.

Despite knowing that public allegations were coming, members of Saint Mary’s Abbey including Abbot Giles Hayes, who was warned of allegations well in advance — and Rev. Benedict Worry himself — made no effort to protect Rev. Worry’s parish or the school from the fallout associated with credible allegation of sexual misconduct.

In now turns out that Abbot Hayes and the abbey knew all along.

According to Patch.com:

“Father Benedict Worry resides at the Abbey,” Delbarton’s statement read. “He has been under strict supervision since January 2012, in response to a complaint alleging misconduct with an individual in the 1990s. Father Benedict has no contact with minors. He has a dedicated supervisor at the Abbey and his supervision is subject to regular review.”

Since January?

How do you explain THAT to the community? the children?